Ferndown & Michael Parks Premier 2 Star Sandblasted Poker w/ Silver Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Ferndown pipes were made by the legendary British pipe making husband and wife duo Leslie “Les” John Wood and Dolly Wood. Both Les and Dolly previously worked for Dunhill, where Les developed his skills and reputation as Britain’s premier pipe silversmith, and Dolly helped perfect the company’s pipe finishing processes. After leaving Dunhill, Les and Dolly began making their own pipes, with their combined knowledge and experience, yielding pipes of a quality that, arguably, exceeded even that of their former employer. Ferndown pipes are highly coveted by pipe smokers due to their superlative craftsman(and woman!)ship, being constructed from high-grade, oil-cured briar, hand cut ebonite, and, in many cases, sterling silver or solid gold ornamentation turned by Les himself. Les and Dolly retired from pipe making in 2016, making Ferndown pipes rather scarce—especially given how difficult it is to get their owners to part with them.

If you’re familiar with Ferndown pipes, you’ll know that, apart from a few exceptions, Les and Dolly did not work with sandblasted finishes. Most Ferndown bowls were either fully or partially rusticated in the couple’s signature “Bark” style, and around 10% were entirely smooth polished. As mentioned, however, there were a few minor exceptions. Some of the pre-Ferndown pipes Les and Dolly made were sandblasted, as were some very early Ferndowns. Years later, a few sandblasted pipes were made by Les and Dolly for UK tobacconist James Barber, using blasted stummels from the old days. Later still, Les was contacted by a Canadian distributor who came up with an idea for a new sandblasted line of Ferndown pipes, known as the “Premier.” The production process was somewhat complicated. Les turned an assortment of bowls, which were then shipped off to Canada, where they were sandblasted by the artisan Michael Parks. The pipes were then sent back to Les and Dolly to be fitted with mouthpieces, mounted with silver, and stamped with the Ferndown nomenclature. And, as far as I understand, the completed pipes were then sent back to Canada to be sold. If that sounds a little over the top to you, you are not alone, but it must be remembered that Ferndown pipes were an even bigger deal back then than they are now, so clearly it was considered worth it. On the other hand, very few Ferndown Premiers were made, and the subsequent Ferndown/Parks collaboration, Commonweal, simplified that process significantly by having Les send bowls he’d turned to Canada, where they stayed for the remainder of their manufacture.

This one takes the form of a signature Ferndown poker rendition, but with the addition of an especially craggy sandblast finish, one whose gnarly texture shines through even the deep burgundy finish that dresses it.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.71″ / 43.43mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g